Artist Spotlight: Celia Lara

March 05, 2015

Celia Lara was born and raised in the tiny ocean state of Rhode Island. She grew up in an artist's family so art has always been a large part of her life. She received her first camera as a gift from her father and began photographing at the age of sixteen. She attended the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vermont and studied Biology and Art. During this time, she also did coursework in art and photography at Rhode Island School of Design. After traveling and spending time at sea she wound up in Santa Cruz, California to pursue a career in Marine Biology. She has worked for the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Hopkins Marine Lab, and currently teaches marine conservation to children for the O'Neill Sea Odyssey on a 65ft sailboat.

In May of 2012, she received her MFA in Photography from the San Francisco Art Institute. Her work examines the balance between the natural and man made worlds at the water's edge. This series explores the sky and the sea. Her photographs have been exhibited at the Marin Museum of Contemporary Art, San Francisco Art Institute, Center for Photographic Art, Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History, Oceanside Museum of Art, and the San Diego Art Institute. She teaches photography, color fundamentals, and two dimensional design at Monterey Peninsula College.